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VANISHING GIANTS
Vanishing giants
Palani Mohan’s photographs capture the perils, the joys, and the quotidian routines of the mighty, and mightily threatened, Asian elephant
An august beast that inspires awe and admiration from afar, yet suffers all manner of ignominies in its own backyard, the Asian elephant is at once king and commoner. A pan-Asian icon, it’s image emblazoned on temple walls and even sculpted from its own ivory, the elephant is is also forced to perform for tourists and beg for its very existence. The demands of industry and agriculture, growing populations and illegal logging all conspire to rob this king of beasts of his birthright; seldom is the elephant afforded the space he needs to be his copious, unfettered self. Mohan’s book, Vanishing Giants, highlights of which follow, is a compelling visual odyssey, a tribute to a species imperilled as never before.
A mahout brings his elephant back to camp after a night spent grazing in the forest in Kerala, India. This is one of the last logging camps left in India where the mahouts and their families live with the elephants. The problem is, younger mahouts would rather live in the city; like all young people they are attracted to the modern way of life.
In the midday heat a mahout rests atop his elephant at a campsite in central Thailand before the start of a daily show. Thailand has the most domesticated elephants anywhere in the world and this is both a blessing and a curse for these animals.
At Cambodia’s famed Angkor temples, an elephant stands by the South Gate of Angkor Thom. As the temples become more and more popular and tourist numbers increase, there is a huge demand for domesticated elephants to provide rides for visitors to the area.
Frolicking in the rain at the Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka, one of the most famous refuges for the great beasts. There are more than 100 elephants in Pinnewala, one of the few sanctuaries of its kind in Asia.
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